Oh, the serenity of a residency at the VCCA! I’ve returned to my everyday life in Chicago, and already VCCA’s calm and focused atmosphere seems elusive. So I thought I’d collect some of my photos from my time there as a reminder.

The tah-tong tah-tong of the freight train roaring by at the bottom of the hill – it’s such a “country” noise and hearing it that first night upon my arrival told me: Yes, I’m at the VCCA!
The view from inside the VCCA labyrinth, a glass brick sculpture by Tom Aprile. I’m glad I took that shot after the only decent snow fall I experienced there. The glass bricks are particularly brilliant against the glistening snow.
“Morgenstund hat Gold im Mund.” – Morning hour is golden. For sure that was true in my bedroom, where on sunny mornings it was grand to sit in the armchair writing my Morning Pages.
The VCCA studio barn complex – my studio was off to the right in that row of white-rimmed windows. See that red chair almost in the middle of the photo? That’s where I lounged in the sun on warmer days.
This is the view from that red chair; beyond the scruffy trees you can see the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Ah yes! Life outside!
Work outside!